...a seemingly healthy but frustratingly shy baby! The ultrasound on Thursday morning was really cool, but it was a bust in the gender-prediction department. Team Easter is now 0 for 3 in showing off at the 20 week scans! We have a guess from the technician based on a fleeting one-second glimpse that it may be a girl. But apparently the umbilical cord can mimic that and she was far from certain...so everything's gender-neutral for at least four more weeks.
We went in at 8:30, fully hydrated and ready to find out. The sonographer fished around and saw quite a few things -- functioning stomach and kidneys, arms, legs, spinal column, two chambers of the heart. But the baby was asleep, not moving much, and had its umbilical cord tucked firmly between its legs, which didn't change for both mini ultrasound sessions.
Steve and I have talked about this, and the coolest part for both of us was after about 5-10 minutes. The baby started waking up, moving the little body and arms a bit, and then tilted its head back, opened its mouth and let out two big yawns. It was just amazing to see it in that kind of detail and realize it really is a little person in there. We also got to see the baby drinking and see its tongue move.
She gave us a few minutes while she did the paperwork, and Steve was talking to my belly and trying to coax the baby into moving. At one point, he demanded the baby uncross its legs, and then followed up with the comment "If you're a girl, that's the only time you'll hear that from me!" After the tech came back, the baby was just not cooperating on necessary measurements, so they said we could come back after the appointment. So I drank a Cherry Coke in the waiting room in an attempt to help things along. This was only the second caffeinated beverage this little one has had, but alas...didn't work like I'd hoped.
We did go back in for about 15 minutes and got to see all four chambers of the heart and a few other organs. Then the technician had me do all sorts of acrobatics on the table...but to little avail. The baby squirmed around quite a bit, and tech thought she saw the telltale three lines at the very end but firmly stated it was only a guess. They also couldn't get several measurements that they wanted, so we are scheduled for another ultrasound in four weeks. Maybe we'll really find out then.
I wasn't certain how I'd react if I found out it was girl. Some of you know, I've been kind of terrified at the idea of having a daughter. I'm just more comfortable with boys. I can't stand pink, don't do well with girlie stuff, and don't relish the thought of being at war with a teenage girl for years. But when she told us her guess was a girl, it was like all the worries melted away and I was really excited. So now we know that either way will be wonderful.
Know this is a long-winded post, so I will sign off for now. Will try to post our new picture from Thursday when time allows later!
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